It's wild to me that in the last sixteen years of doing these devotionals, there are entire books that I've never been through. In the past, when I've read verses 3 and 4, I think I've separated them in my head. The faith of the church is growing, and their love for one another is increasing... and yet they're suffering under persecutions and afflictions. I so often am guilty of reading the Bible verse by verse, but then I hold these together, and isn't it remarkable that the faith of the church is growing despite these persecutions and afflictions? One would suppose that they'd be negatively impacting the church, but instead, the church continues to grow, and the church members are filled with love for one another! What a strong hold on the Gospel they must have to not fade away in the midst of persecution but to cling even more tightly to the Good News preached by Paul.
May we study these words with the same spirit, with the same focus, that the message of the Gospel may be such good news to us as well!
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